Irwins continue fight against cancer
By Justin Eide
Posted Feb. 26, 2015
The vast amount of prayers have grown in the Aitkin community for the restored health of Brad Robert Irwin, formerly a teacher at AHS. Mr. Irwin has been in an ongoing fight with prostate cancer for the last two and a half years. He had his prostate removed in March 2013 and that didn’t seem to work. The cancer had spread into his lymph nodes and he was sent to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota where he underwent 37 radiation treatments while Brad and Renee (his wife) stayed in one of the clinic’s cancer houses.
In October 2014 they thought they had finally caught a break. The results of his test showed that the cancer was undetectable and he was in the clear, but not out of the woods. Mr. Irwin went back for more tests at the end of January 2015 and his count was elevated, which is very bad. Mr. Irwin’s results showed that the cancer had moved into his bones; It is in the base of his skull, the top and bottom of his spine, his right arm, and the back of his neck. The doctor told them it was called a sleeper cell and it has woken up with a vengeance.
Mr. Irwin has the most aggressive prostate cancer that there is and it is now at stage 4, which is the worst stage it could be at . So far he has had one round of chemotherapy and has to have a minimum of five more, which last two days each. He has three weeks to recover in between each treatment before he heads back to the cities for more chemotherapy.
“It’s going to be a long road ahead with a hard fight, but they are both positive and I feel that’s going to be the key to any victory achieved,” said Steve Jacobson, the industrial arts teacher at the high school. He has known Brad for at least 10 years and they worked on their master’s degrees together with a handful of the other staff at the high school.
Mr. Irwin was a teacher at Aitkin High School for five years but taught Alternative school for 15-plus years. He started by teaching ninth grade physical science and then he moved to teaching the school’s Ag classes. His wife, Mrs. Irwin, has worked at the school as the Family and Consumer Science teacher for more than 20 years.
“The hardest part of this would have to be watching the love of my life suffer,” Mrs. Irwin said as she held back tears. “We have been married for 35 years and I want to go for another 35.” Brad and Renee have been fighting this for far too long and each and every prayer said for them has an impact and will forever be cherished.
Posted Feb. 26, 2015
The vast amount of prayers have grown in the Aitkin community for the restored health of Brad Robert Irwin, formerly a teacher at AHS. Mr. Irwin has been in an ongoing fight with prostate cancer for the last two and a half years. He had his prostate removed in March 2013 and that didn’t seem to work. The cancer had spread into his lymph nodes and he was sent to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota where he underwent 37 radiation treatments while Brad and Renee (his wife) stayed in one of the clinic’s cancer houses.
In October 2014 they thought they had finally caught a break. The results of his test showed that the cancer was undetectable and he was in the clear, but not out of the woods. Mr. Irwin went back for more tests at the end of January 2015 and his count was elevated, which is very bad. Mr. Irwin’s results showed that the cancer had moved into his bones; It is in the base of his skull, the top and bottom of his spine, his right arm, and the back of his neck. The doctor told them it was called a sleeper cell and it has woken up with a vengeance.
Mr. Irwin has the most aggressive prostate cancer that there is and it is now at stage 4, which is the worst stage it could be at . So far he has had one round of chemotherapy and has to have a minimum of five more, which last two days each. He has three weeks to recover in between each treatment before he heads back to the cities for more chemotherapy.
“It’s going to be a long road ahead with a hard fight, but they are both positive and I feel that’s going to be the key to any victory achieved,” said Steve Jacobson, the industrial arts teacher at the high school. He has known Brad for at least 10 years and they worked on their master’s degrees together with a handful of the other staff at the high school.
Mr. Irwin was a teacher at Aitkin High School for five years but taught Alternative school for 15-plus years. He started by teaching ninth grade physical science and then he moved to teaching the school’s Ag classes. His wife, Mrs. Irwin, has worked at the school as the Family and Consumer Science teacher for more than 20 years.
“The hardest part of this would have to be watching the love of my life suffer,” Mrs. Irwin said as she held back tears. “We have been married for 35 years and I want to go for another 35.” Brad and Renee have been fighting this for far too long and each and every prayer said for them has an impact and will forever be cherished.